Liberating Guitar Picks
by Satya Kaden
Summary: The real story behind Jamie's quest to liberate guitar picks from the music store.


Disclaimer: Um, I own nothing IaHb related. Yeah.   
Note: This was just something that I thought up the other day out of nowhere. But it does get one main point across. Kenny is a jerk. I do not like that boy.   
  
  
  
The room was decorated for a party, that much was evident. Red crepe paper spiraled form one corner of the ceiling to the other, crisscrossing a blue strand going in the opposite direction. Different colored balloons littered the floor of the room. One could barely tell that it was a room in the EMT station house.   
  
One table of the room was piled high with presents wrapped in multicolored/ multi-patterned paper, special for the occasion. The presents sat waiting for the nimble fingers to tear their paper off and expose their secret treasures inside.   
  
The other table was covered in a while table cloth. On its top, the table proudly displayed a large cake with white frosting. "Happy Birthday, Jamie," was scrolled across the top in red and blue icing.   
  
Jamie sat on the couch, surrounded by people that just months ago he never would have guessed he would become friends with. Yet, they had become his co-workers and his friends. And on this special day, they had cared enough to throw him a birthday party. It gave Jamie a warm feeling in his belly to know that his friends accepted him, even though he was different from them.  
  
He wasn't the golden child like Val. He wasn't the football God like Tyler. And he didn't have Hank's innate ability to always do the right thing. He was the rebel, the one who was on the squad because he was serving his term of community service. Yet, Jamie still seemed to get along with all of them just fine.  
  
Even Alex had come to his party. As employee and boos, they had not hit it off right away. In fact, Alex had not even wanted him on the squad, Jamie remembered. But, now Jamie had proved himself as a dedicated worker and Alex had to respect him for that. They seemed to get along just fine now. That is, with the underlying understanding that Jamie had better not screw up again.  
Jamie smiled at the thought.  
  
"Happy birthday, Jamie," Val said as she pushed the little red button on her camera. A streak of flash shot through the air and then the Polaroid instant camera spit out the picture. It showed Hank, Tyler, Brooke, Alex and, of course, Jamie all sitting on the couch. Most of them were smiling.  
  
Val waved the picture in the air a couple of times and then studied the faces captured within it. "Brooke, you weren't smiling," she complained with a laugh.  
  
She passed the picture to her younger sister. Everyone gathered around Brooke to see how it had come out. Sure enough, Brooke was the only one looking away from the camera and she hadn't smiled.  
  
"Well," Brooke started in her own defense, "I was looking at Jamie's presents over there." She pointed to the table across the room piled high with presents of different shapes and sizes.  
  
Jamie smiled, wondering what could be inside those packages. It would have been enough, he knew if they all had just wished him a happy birthday. Instead, they thrown him a small party and had bought him presents.  
  
"Yeah, Brooke, I noticed them too," Jamie said slyly and everyone laughed.   
  
"Well," Alex announced as he stood from his position on the couch. "Let's not make Jamie wait any longer."  
  
He strode swiftly over the table of presents. While the others watch, Alex sized up the different packages, trying to figure out which one to give Jamie first. Alex picked up one present wrapped in green wrapping paper. Then set it back down again. He picked up another one and held it for a minute, trying to think of what was inside. Maybe I shouldn't have let Brooke wrap all of these, he thought. If I had wrapped them, I would know what was inside of them.  
  
Then Alex saw it. The perfect one. The box itself was small, but Alex knew the present would be worth it to Jamie. It seemed to scream to be opened first. Ah, it was a very important present indeed. Alex smiled as he picked up the gift and walked back across the room to where the others sat joking around on the couch.  
  
"Here Jamie," He said handing it to the birthday boy. "This one is from all of us."  
  
  
Jamie smiled as he looked at the present in his hands. He felt like a little kid, excitement bubbling up in his stomach. Jamie liked getting presents and knowing that it was from all of his friends meant so much to him.  
  
He reached up and grasped a fold in the paper in his right hand. He pulled and the paper tore away, exposing one corner of a black colored box. He pulled on the rest of the paper, uncovering the whole box.   
  
Jamie grasped the lid of the box, wondering what could be in a box so small. He lifted the lid and pushed the ends of the tissue paper away. There, nestled on the bed of tissue paper were three guitar picks.  
  
"Hey cool," Jamie remarked as he lifted one of the picks out of the box to study it.  
  
"We thought you might like it," Brooke said.  
  
"Yeah," Alex added, "it seemed fitting since guitar picks is what originally brought you to us."   
  
.........................................  
  
  
Months Ago  
  
Jamie and his friend, Kenny, walked into the music store, intent on perusing the musical merchandise. Jamie just planned on looking around, nothing more. He was very aware of how empty his wallet was, but that didn't bother him too much. After all, he hadn't been planning on buying anything anyway.  
  
Jamie walked down the sheet music aisle first, looking at what the store had to offer. He noticed that the store carried music books filed with music from a couple of his favorite bands. Cool, he thought as he stopped to look through one of the books.   
  
Jamie had gotten a guitar himself a few years before that. It was a beautiful model that his mother had bought him for his birthday. Jamie had started playing it on his birthday and never stopped. He was constantly practicing on his favorite instrument, trying harder and harder to be the best guitar player out of all his friends.   
  
But, it was hard when you had a friend like Kenny, who always told you that you played like crap. And, Jamie knew, Kenny would know because he played great. Kenny had taken lesson for years when they had been in elementary school. Kenny always told Jamie that he wasn't very good. Jamie, being the humble one of the two, believed him. Why would Kenny say something that wasn't true? So, Jamie kept practicing. He practiced and practiced until his fingers developed blisters and sometimes the skin would simply break from overexertion and bleed. Jamie hated wearing band-aids. Kenny always made fun of him for that too.  
  
So, Jamie had started to use a pick when playing the guitar. Sure, sometimes it was more annoying that just using your own fingers. But, at least this way Jamie could practice as long as he wanted.  
  
His only fault with guitar playing was that he was always losing his picks. It didn't matter where he put them in his room for safekeeping; they just always seemed to have a way of disappearing. Of course, it never occurred to Jamie that the picks always seemed to disappear every time Kenny was over at his house.  
"Hey," Kenny hissed through his teeth. He stood down the aisle a bit, in front of a display case.   
  
Jamie looked up from the book he was looking at and saw that Kenny was motioning for him to come over. Jamie returned the book to its shelf and casually walked over to where his friend stood.  
  
"Look at these picks, man," Kenny said, pointing to the rainbow colored picks sitting in a box on the display case.   
  
"Yeah, they're cool," Jamie said, admiring the different colors that the picks came in.   
  
"Let's get some," Kenny whispered.  
  
Jamie looked at his friend, surprise evident in his eyes. What exactly was Kenny suggesting, Jamie wondered.   
  
"We don't have any money, Kenny," Jamie said slowly, hoping that he did not know what Kenny was thinking.  
  
"Duh, James," Kenny started, laughing. "Grow up. Not having money never stopped me in the past."  
  
Jamie exhaled slowly, knowing that what Kenny said was true. Jamie had heard the stories that Kenny told proudly of how he had stolen CD's and movies before. Kenny always acted like it was no big deal and perhaps, Jamie thought, it wasn't. If Kenny has done it so many times and not gotten caught, maybe it isn't that hard to do, he thought. I mean, if stores made it easy to steal something, then they deserved what they got, right?   
  
Kenny watched as Jamie's morals and ethics fought his sense of friendship in his mind. And Kenny knew that Jamie was debating as to whether he should do it or not. C'mon, Kenny urged mentally. Do it, James.  
  
"All you have to do is put it in your pocket and walk out the door. Nice and easy," Kenny urged.  
  
"Nice and easy," Jamie echoed, wondering if it was that easy.   
  
"Look James," Kenny said, knowing exactly what to say to get his friend to do it, "Don't you want them? Didn't you lose yours again last Saturday?"  
  
It never occurred to Jamie that he hadn't noticed his newest picks missing from the top of his dresser until Kenny had said something just then. Kenny realized his mistake immediately, though, and tried to cover it up quickly.  
  
"Or are you just chicken, James?" Kenny added hastily, in that arrogant tone of his.  
  
Jamie took a deep breath. Truly, he did not want to steal the picks. But, he didn't want Kenny to think he was a wimp. If Kenny can do it, I can do it, Jamie thought.  
  
"What do I do?" Jamie asked, sealing his fate.  
  
Kenny smiled, knowing that he had hooked his friend. Now all he had to do was reel him in. "I'll go over there and pretend to look at the posters. All you have to do is put them in your pocket and then walk around a little bit before leaving. But, don't go too fast. They'll know you're up to something. Just kind of stroll out. I'll leave a couple minutes after you do. We'll meet at the car. Got it?"  
  
Jamie nodded, his heart pounding. Kenny's plan sounded so easy. It had to work, didn't it? Kenny has done this so many times, Jamie thought as Kenny walked away from the display case slowly. Nothing will go wrong. Just put them in my pocket and walk out.  
  
Slowly Jamie reached out with one shaky hand and picked up four guitar picks. He turned them over in his hand, acting as if he were really interested in them. Then he pretended to set them back down on the counter. Jamie's hand fell to his sides, but not before slipping the picks into his jeans pocket.  
  
He turned slowly and walked away down another aisle. Jamie pretended that he was truly interested in the DVD's that they had lining the shelves of the aisle Jamie had picked. Then slowly, Jamie made his way towards the main door of the store. Nice and easy, he told himself, a smile playing on his lips. This isn't so hard after all, He thought.  
  
Jamie was just mere feet from the door to the store. He could see the sign on the outside of the door with the store's hours on it. No big deal, he told himself again as he willed his heart to stop pounding.   
  
Jamie reached out and touched the door to the store. He was just about to push it open and walk out into the bright sunlight when a large hand clamped down on his shoulder.   
  
Jamie closed his eyes slowly, knowing that he had been caught. He opened his eyes and turned around slowly, praying silently that it was Kenny that was behind him. The big security guard looked nothing like Kenny though. And he did not look too friendly. "I think you better come with me, son," the guard said, leading Jamie away.  
  
Jamie looked around quickly for his friend, but Kenny was nowhere to be found.  
  
........................................  
  
Back at the birthday party  
  
Jamie smiled as he remember the ill-fated day he had walked into the music store and gotten caught stealing a few guitar picks. After that, there had been the court hearing in which he had been sentenced to community service. At first, Jamie had been really bummed that he would have to do community service on an EMT squad. But now, he didn't mind it at all. In fact, he rather liked it.  
  
"Yeah, those picks turned out to be more trouble than they were worth," He said with a laugh. He turned his new picks over in his hand and watched as the light caught on them and made the sparkle.   
  
"You know," Jamie started slowly, "it's kind of funny. I still don't know how they knew I had those picks in my pocket. I mean, I had been so careful."  
Val and Tyler exchanged a look and shifted in their chairs uncomfortably. Tell him, Val mouthed to the grimacing Tyler.  
  
"Well," Tyler started, not knowing exactly what he was going to say. How could he tell his friend that he pretty much knew how Jamie had been caught? "Um, actually, it's funny that you mention that, Jamie. There's something I've.....uh....been wanting to tell you."  
  
"Um, Brooke," Val started, knowing that Tyler was having problems getting his words out. "Why don't you help me cut the cake?"  
  
The two sisters rose. "Alex and Hank, I think we'll need your help too," Val added.   
  
Hank looked at her confused. He didn't want to help them. He wanted to listen to Tyler tell Jamie the truth. Hank just wanted to see Jamie's expression when he found out.  
  
"But......," Hank started.  
  
"Now!" Val said through her teeth, her eyebrows raising a bit.  
  
"Okay, fine," Hank replied grudgingly. The four cake cutters walked away to the table across the room.  
  
Jamie looked at his friend expectantly, wondering why Tyler suddenly looked as if he had tasted something bitter. What could Tyler have to tell me that makes him look so weird, Jamie wondered.  
  
"Well," Tyler started again, more sure of himself this time. Jamie would forgive him, wouldn't he? After all, they were friends now. "It all started when Val wanted to get some sheet music for Brooke's birthday..............   
  
................................................  
  
Months Ago  
  
"Maybe she'll like this one?" Tyler suggested as he held up a copy of The Little Mermaid sheet music.  
  
  
  
"No," Val said, shaking her head. "She already has that one. In fact," she added, gesturing to the shelves before them, "she has most of these."  
  
Val and Tyler had come to the music store with only one goal in mind- to get the perfect present for Brooke's birthday. They both knew that Brooke loved the piano and so, of course, their first thought was to get Brooke some sheet music to play. The only problem was that Brooke had such a wide variety of sheet music already, that it was hard to find something she didn't already have.  
  
Of course, it didn't help that her birthday was the next day. Val hadn't been planning on putting off getting Brooke's gift, but school had been so crazy lately. On top of that, there was the squad. Between those two and cheerleading, she just hadn't had time to get out to any stores.   
  
But now, she had time and Tyler had been nice enough to come along and help her find something. He's always so nice, Val thought letting her eyes wander over to the blond headed boy looking through the books of music.   
  
Tyler felt her eyes on him and looked up to see her staring at him, a peculiar look in her eyes. He smiled at her and she snapped suddenly out of whatever reverie she had been in. Val blushed and looked back down at the sheet music before her.  
  
Seeing her blush, Tyler's smile became a broad grin. She's great, he suddenly thought before something in his peripheral vision caught his attention.  
  
Someone was moving past him and Tyler turned to see who it was. He immediately recognized the boy moving towards the display case where his friend waited. Tyler even recognized the friend.   
  
Jamie Waite and his good friend Kenny, Tyler thought with distaste. Tyler had never talked to either of the boys before, but he knew them just the same. They were always in trouble for one thing or another at school. And, Tyler knew, the two boys had seemed to take up permanent residence in the detention room after school. They were simply bad news, Tyler knew.   
  
But Tyler wondered what they were doing. Kenny kept looking around and Jamie was staring at the display in front of him. Kenny looked around again, as if searching for something or someone. Or looking out for someone, Tyler thought suddenly. Everyone at school knew that Kenny stole stuff from stores. But Jamie, well, Tyler had never heard of Jamie Waite stealing stuff. Usually he got into trouble for water-bombing the cheerleaders on their way out of the locker room or something like that.  
  
But as Tyler watched them longer he realized that perhaps stealing something was exactly what they were planning on doing. "Val, do you see them?" He whispered to her.  
  
"Who? Those two guys over by the guitar supplies?" She asked, reluctantly dragging her eyes away from the sheet music she was looking at.   
  
"Yeah," Tyler replied quietly, his eyes wide with excitement. "Just watch them."  
  
Val and Tyler watched as Kenny walked away from the display case and started to look at posters a ways away. And they watched as Jamie picked up the picks and looked at the closely. Tyler kept his eyes on Jamie's hand as Jamie pretended to set the picks back on the counter.  
  
"Did you see that, Val?" He asked, his eyes going wide as he realized what Jamie had just done.  
  
"Yeah," she whispered back, her voice riddled with surprise.   
  
Jamie walked away from the display case and Tyler took off. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but he knew he had to tell someone before Jamie got out of the store. Tyler turned the corner into another aisle and found a store employee kneeling on the floor, filling the racks with new CD releases.  
  
"I just saw someone steal something," Tyler said to the tired looking employee.  
  
..............................................  
  
  
Back at the birthday party  
  
"You mean, it was you who reported me?" Jamie asked, not able to believe what he was hearing. Had Tyler really done it? Had Tyler really told on him?  
  
"Well," Tyler said, squirming in his chair. "You were going to steal it."  
  
"Yeah," Jamie responded, remembering how he had been so easily sucked into Kenny's little game. Kenny had never planned on letting Jamie keep the picks. No, Jamie was just a pawn to get the picks out of the store for Kenny.  
  
"I didn't know you back then either. Imagine my surprise when you showed up to rookie orientation just a few weeks later."  
  
Hey, no hard feelings, right? I mean, we're friends now. We're cool, right?" Tyler asked.  
  
Jamie studied his friend for a minute. Yes, he had been in the process of stealing the guitar picks when he had been caught. Could he really hold what Tyler had done against him? Jamie knew that Tyler had just done the right thing, as he always seemed to do. But still.............  
  
"Yeah, I guess," Jamie said, his eyes falling on something important across the small room. His lips curled into a grin as a devious plan popped into his mind.   
  
"In fact," Jamie continued standing from his seat on the couch, "to show you how cool we are, I'll get you a piece of cake."  
  
"Oh, that's not necessary," Tyler said, relieved by the fact that Jamie had forgiven him.   
  
"Oh c'mon.....friend," in a mocking voice that equaled Kenny's way too well.   
  
Brooke handed Jamie a plate of cake and a fork and he turned to smile brilliantly at Tyler, who still sat on the couch. Jamie walked back to Tyler slowly and lowered the plate as if to pass it into Tyler's waiting hands. Tyler smiled at his friend and reached up for the plate of cake.  
  
Quickly, Jamie turned his wrist and aimed for Tyler's face. When he pulled the plate away from Tyler's face, Jamie was happy to see that all of Tyler's facial features were covered in cake. Tyler, stunned into silence, didn't move.  
  
The room exploded in laughter as Val, Brooke and Hank all realized what had just happened. Even Alex laughed. Val quickly grabbed her camera and took a picture of Tyler, who still had not moved.  
  
Jamie laughed as a big piece of frosting fell off Tyler's face onto his lap. "Now we're cool," Jamie said, his shoulders shaking with laughter.   
  
"I.....," Tyler started and then stopped as he realized how silly he must look. He laughed as some more frosting slid down his face onto his shirt below. And he realized that this was Jamie's way of saying that he forgave him.  
  
Tyler stuck out his tongue as Val took another picture. Then he ran his tongue over his lips, tasting the sweet icing that had spelled out the 'Ja' in Jamie. "Mmm," he quipped, "Good icing."  
  
Everyone laughed again and Hank tossed Tyler a towel. No one laughed harder than Jamie, though. Indirectly, the guitar picks he had tried to steal had made him end up here, with friends. Real friends, not like Kenny who just used people when it worked for him. Jamie didn't care that Tyler had turned him in. But, that was his secret, because he was really enjoying how stupid Tyler looked with cake all over his face.  
  
Jamie glanced over at the table with presents still on it. They looked innocent enough, but so had the guitar picks and look what secrets they had revealed. Jamie accepted a plate of cake from Brooke and then he looked back at the table. I wonder what secrets those ones hold, he thought before taking a bite of his cake.  
  
  
  
The End  
  
  
Well, that's that. Like I said, this was just a little something I thought of the other day. So, please don't forget to review. C'mon make my day and review. Flamers need not apply.   



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